For Better Quality Home Care for

Your Loved One

Suffering from

Parkinson’s Disease in

Medley

305-625-9299

You want to do what’s right for your loved one – making sure their life is as happy, comfortable and independent as possible.

But the demands of the real world often turn our best intentions inside out.

How do you care for your loved one and still have time for yourself as well?

Parkinson’s Disease

Our office has experiencedOn-Call Supervisors ready to respond to calls anytime day or night, 24 Hours, 365 days a year.

Professional, Dedicated Help For Your Personal Needs and Circumstances…

At Affinity Home Care, we take personal pride in offering expert and empathetic care
for our patients and clients going through the hardships and disabilities associated with
advancing age.

Our experienced caregivers are compassionate, thoroughly trained professionals. Each
goes through an extensive background check, assuring only the best of the best
make it through our meticulous hiring process.

You can rest assured of receiving the finest, most professional care possible.

Nursing Supervisor – who makes the initial home visit to assess, plan, and supervise care and also conducts monthly visits free of charge to supervise care and provide ongoing support and education for family members at home;

Elder Care Advocate – who will attend to all your needs, and provide liaison to community resources;

Parkinson’s Disease

“You and your family of caring staff have been the best thing that has ever happened to me since I had my fall, thank you.”

– Donna P.

“I cannot say enough at how kind and helpful and understanding all of the staff were in our time of need to help take care of our mother.

There are no words to describe how much we appreciate the loving care…”

– Mary Lou F.

I appreciate your efficiency, thoroughness and caring touches! Your understanding of Alzheimer’s has been extremely helpful. Just knowing that Mom is safe in her home with Leesa has made a huge difference in our lives my brother is finally getting his life back after taking care of Mom this past year.

I wanted to express my gratitude to you, your staff. When mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we were frantic. We knew she would eventually need constant care and were at a total loss as to how to care for her. Our fears were that if we did have to hire someone to care for her, how we could trust they would care for her as we would.

– Sandi and Joe G.

“Your care and organization has been the greatest thing for our family, especially for my father.

Thanks for your great service.”

– Dwight A.

In addition to what we provide, we offer you educational assistance to care for your loved ones struggling with debilitating disabilities of old age:

For more information or
to schedule a FREE In-Home consultation,
Call Us:

Palm Beach County:561-483-4044

Broward County:954-427-6916

Miami-Dade County:305-625-9299

Are You Caring For a Loved One Who

Is Suffering from Parkinson’s Disease?

Needs help with daily living Is alone or may be at risk Has family living far away Has tremors or rigid muscles Has slowed movement or impaired posture and balance Has cognitive issues Has impaired coordination Has mobility issues Has problems communicating Relies on constant around the clock care

Helping your Loved One Sufferring from Parkinson’s Disease at Home

Any diagnosis of a degenerative neurological disease is heart breaking, and Parkinson’s is no exception. When your loved one is facing the long term facts of Parkinson’s, it falls to you as the primary care provider to make them as comfortable as possible. However, it is necessary to remember that Parkinson’s patients can live fairly normal lives for years after diagnosis. Your first concern after the diagnosis should be finding ways to maximize the patient’s independence for as long as possible. Sit down with your loved one and their doctor to discuss treatments, projected decline and a long-term treatment plan.

Setting Up a Safe Home Environment

In the early stages of Parkinson’s, there is no need to take any drastic action, but as it progresses, patients will experience increasing physical weakness. They can develop tremors, loss of balance, difficulty speaking, and many other complications from the disease. In order to create a safe home environment, there may be changes required in the home. Not all homes can be safely transformed to accommodate someone with Parkinson’s. Evaluate their current living situation to ensure that the needed changes are possible within the space allowed.

Patients with Parkinson’s will need spacious rooms all on a single level.

Remove as much clutter as possible to maximize space.

Eventually, remove unnecessary furniture and other clutter that may become hazardous as your loved one will need to use a walker or wheelchair to get around the house.

You will need to install hand rails throughout the home,

Make handicap accessible modifications to the bathroom and

Have ramps installed at each entryway.

There are also changes that you can make to reduce frustration. It is a good idea to keep all of the necessary medical supplies in one convenient location, so that you can keep things under control and easily accessible.

These changes should be completed before they become a necessity. As soon as your loved one is diagnosed with Parkinson’s, it is essential to begin drawing up plans to prepare their home situation to accommodate their changing needs. Do not forget to include environmental improvements, as well. Since your loved one will spend much of their time in one or two rooms, it is essential that they be comfortable.

Decorate with warm colors and display meaningful items like pictures and other items that generate happy memories. House plants are another excellent way to make the space lively and give it a feeling of comfort and peace.

Helping your Loved One with Daily Life

The best thing you can do for your loved one is become informed. Parkinson’s has many different symptoms and expresses differently in everyone.

Take the time to learn about all the potential effects of the disease, and what you can do to make life easier for the patient.

Some common examples include:

Moving furniture to create easy handholds throughout the home can encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves for as long as they can.

Cooking healthy, well-balanced meals that are easy for Parkinson’s patients to eat is essential. Parkinson’s patients may have difficulty cutting up food, chewing or swallowing. It is crucial to provide them with foods that are not tough or dry, so they can easily swallow and digest culinary offerings.

Participating in Physical Therapy so that you can help them practice at home is a terrific way to keep them active. Some basic exercise techniques you can try include games of catch, or balloon volleyball. The action of throwing and catching the ball or batting the balloon around can help them maintain control of bodily functions for as long as possible.

Learning about techniques for handling tremors and freezing. Freezing is when the muscles in the body freeze for a moment, often resulting in falls. One technique for breaking out of a freeze is to focus on a visual target and move toward that target. Help your loved one practice the theory, so that it becomes instinctive and the danger of a fall is reduced.

The more involved you are with the treatment process the more helpful you can be during your at home hours where you are the primary care provider.

How do you care for an elderly, disabled or sick parent, spouse or sibling and still have time for yourself as well?

Do Not Forget or Ignore Your Needs

Primary care providers can be so caught up with trying to take care of their loved one that they become depressed, withdrawn, stressed, and unhealthy. This will ultimately harm both you and your loved ones.

Make sure to take proper care of yourself. Get as much rest as possible, because if you are not rested, you will not be able to take proper care of your family member.

Make time to enjoy social activities and spend time with friends and family in a relaxed environment, so that you are refreshed.

Be prepared for the changes that can happen in your family dynamic. Your children may act out in response to the time you spend caring for your ailing relative.

However, it is necessary to make time for you, to reduce the burdens you experience as a primary care giver.

Tips and Support Information to Help You Find a Balance

Balancing the needs of the patient against your own and the rest of your family can be difficult, but do not get trapped in a mentality that says you must do everything yourself. There are a variety of programs out there to help you provide the needed care without driving yourself into the ground. Talk with the doctor in charge of the overall care plan and discuss needed levels of care.

When the patient can no longer reliably perform daily tasks, your responsibilities increase dramatically. Many people have the beleaguered family member move in, so they are better able to help. This can put additional strain on a family, but it is often the best solution for the ailing patient. Below are some things you can implement to help reduce the stress on your family:

Contract Homemaker/Companion services for your relative to provide companionship during the day and take them to social activities when you are not able to do so. A homemaker can perform tasks like laundry, fixing a mid-day meal and socializing with your loved one during the hours when you must be away from home.

Schedule family time, and stick to it. There are many changes that come with providing round the clock care to a loved one. These changes are necessary, but they can put incredible strain on a family, particularly children. Make sure to take time out just for family time, so that no one feels ignored.

Bring in a Home Health Aide to help with tasks like bathing, dressing and medication management. If you work full time, or even part time, outside of the home, providing full time care is not a possibility. Contract a Home Health Aide to reduce the burden and provide help with daily tasks when you are not available.

Obtain Private Duty Nursing when needed. Eventually, it is likely that your loved one will require constant access to health care services. Private Duty Nursing enables you to keep the patient at home, while still offering the health care they need.

These services are offered to help you balance your needs, the needs of your family and the needs of the patient. They are particularly helpful when you must go to work each day. It may not be safe for the patient to stay at home without observation. These services give you the needed peace of mind to leave the home secure in the knowledge that your loved one is in capable hands. They also allow you to schedule much needed personal time for errands and relaxation.

In turn, you’ll be able to focus on what you do best and what Only You Can Provide:

Respite Care – Family Caregiver Wellbeing

It’s important to understand even the most dedicated family caregiver needs some time off.

By taking many of the burdens of home geriatric care off your shoulders, the trained, skilled home care professionals at Affinity gives you back the freedoms you probably have been going without.

Time for shopping, visiting friends, going to the dentist, getting back to
work… or simply taking a much needed breather from the responsibilities of geriatric care.

Concerned Care Brought Directly Into Your Home

You want to be absolutely sure the care being providing by an outside service is every bit as nurturing and compassionate as you yourself would give.

At Affinity Home Care, that’s what we’re all about. We make quality of life commitments so much easier for all involved. Allowing you or your loved ones the independence wanted combined with the nursing help and daily living support needed.

If you’ve made the decision to care for an aging family member or loved one in their home, Affinity will be there – helping to assure every aspect of the patient’s needs are properly met.

Affinity Home Care Specialty Areas

Affinity Home Care is proud to link the resources of a leading home health care system to homes in over 30 communities in South Florida. Our longstanding tradition of compassionate community-based home care is enriched by collaboration with the region’s leading healthcare institutions.
Our home care services incorporate advances in medical research and best home health care traditions that enable people to recover from illness or injury in the comfort of their home. The experienced office support staff and compassionate caregivers can provide personalized in-home care and assistance tailored to your loved one’s specific needs and condition.
If your loved one is suffering from Alzheimer’s, Dementia, suffered or is recovering from a recent Stroke, has Congestive Heart Failure, Vision problems, Spinal Stenosis, Parkison’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), Huntington’s Disease, or other disorders that require home care services, the Affinity Case Management team and experienced caregivers will ensure your loved one is well cared for in their own home.

Use of Communication Devices – Assisting with use of telephone or other form of communication.

Hospice support

Custodial Care

Joyful Companionship

Respite for Family Caregivers

and other in-home care services to enable seniors, homebound and chronically disabled to live independently in the safety and security of their own homes for as long as possible

The Affinity Parkinson’s Disease Home Care Difference

You’ll rest assured of receiving the finest, most professional care possible.

Every member of the Affinity Home Care team is dedicated to helping our clients making it through even the most difficult of times and situations.

By giving us a call, you’ll be taking that first, all important step in creating a better life for yourself and your loved one.

Yes, caring for the elderly can be both stressful and physically challenging. But Affinity Home Care wants you to know you’re not alone. Even if you’re only seeking information about local health care agencies or services, or need help in understanding in-home geriatric care – please don’t hesitate in giving us a call.

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Home Care

It’s usually passed off as “just normal” signs of aging. Forgetting where one placed a wallet or handbag, or where the car is parked. Familiar names seem to vanish when trying to recall them, being just on the tip of the tongue but never making it all the way to full consciousness.

While these episodes do pass, they keep cropping up with increased frequency.

Stroke Home Care

When your loved one has a stroke, they’re in a hospital or rehabilitation center where many resources are available to help them get through their day. However, most people want to come home, and if you are the caregiver, you will be responsible for the day-to-day care of someone who has experienced a debilitating brain attack.

Congestive Heart Failure Home Care

Congestive heart failure is a condition where the heart is not able to pump blood throughout the body as well as it once could. Since blood is not about to get through the system well, blood begins to back up in areas of the circulatory system which increases blood pressure and forces fluid…

Macular Degeneration Care

More than 10 million people in the US are diagnosed with macular degeneration. It is typically age related and is a progressive blindness in the eye.

What starts out, around the age of 60, as blurry vision will, over time, become total blindness. It is very important to remember that macular degeneration will not directly affect the mental or any other physical aspects of your loved one.

Spinal Stenosis Care

At a basic level, spinal stenosis is the degradation of the spine and can lead to pain and discomfort in the lower back, hips, legs and feet. About 25% of the cases of spinal stenosis affect the shoulders, arms and upper body as well. Some people with spinal stenosis do not experience pain, but they may have numbness throughout their body.

Parkinson’s Home Care

Any diagnosis of a degenerative neurological disease is heart breaking, and Parkinson’s is no exception. When your loved one is facing the long term facts of Parkinson’s, it falls to you as the primary care provider to make them as comfortable as possible.

Multiple Sclerosis Care

Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease that will, over time, cause loss of muscle control, balance, vision and sensation. When a person has multiple sclerosis, their immune system, for an unknown reason, will begin attacking and destroying the protective covering on the nerves in the body.

ALS Home Care

The diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease can be just as devastating for the family of the person who has been diagnosed as it is for the person who has received the diagnosis.

If you have a loved one who has recently been diagnosed with ALS, their care may be in your hands.

Huntington’s Disease Care

Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder that is progressive. Though there is no cure for Huntington’s at this time, research is ongoing all the time and there are definitely ways to make your loved ones live a life as wonderful as possible, even when dealing with this disease.